


CONFIDENTIAL! 

FOR  USE  OF  OFFICERS  ONLY 


NOTES 

TRAINING  FOR  RIFLE  FIRE 
IN  TRENCH  WARFARE 


COMPILED  FROM  FOREIGN  REPORTS 


ARMY  WAR  COLLEGE 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1917 


CONFIDENTIAL! 

FOR  USE  OF  OFFICERS  ONLY 


NOTES 


ON 


TRAINING  FOR  RIFLE  FIRE 
IN  TRENCH  WARFARE 


COMPILED  FROM  FOREIGN  REPORTS 


ARMY  WAR  COLLEGE 
APRIL,  1917 


WASHINGTON 
GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 

1917 


WAR   DEPARTMENT, 

I><H-unx'iit   No.   573. 

Office  of  The  Adjutant  General, 


WAR  DEPARTMENT, 

WASHINGTON,  April  24,  1917. 

The  following  Notes  on  Training  for  Rifle  Fire  in  Trench 
Warfare  are  published  for  the  information  and  guidance  of 
all  concerned. 

[2582933,  A.  G.  O.I 

BY  ORDER  OF  THE  SECRETARY  OF  WAR : 

H.  L.  SCOTT, 

Major  General,  Chief  of  Staff. 
OFFICIAL: 

H.  P.   MrCAlN, 

The  Adjutant  General. 

3 


TRAINING  IN  THE  USE  OF  THE  RIFLE  FOR  TRENCH 
WARFARE. 

1.  Training  in  the  use  of  the  rifle  includes  that  of  the  bayonet. 
Fire  action  is  alone  treated  in  this  paper,  instruction  in  the  use 
of  the  bayonet  having  already  been  discussed  elsewhere. 

2.  The  rifleman  in  the  trenches,  no  less  than  in  the  open,  re- 
quires as  preliminary  preparation  the  courses  of  individual  and 
rombat  instruction  prescribed  in  the  Small  Arms  Firing  Manual. 
The  object  of  this  paper  is  not  to  supersede  any  portion  of 
this  manual,  but  to  supplement  it  by  stressing  those  features  of 
trench  rifle  fire  that  the  experience  of  actual  war  has  shown  to 
be  possessed  of  an  importance  that  was  not  fully  appreciated 
when  the  manual  was  prepared.    So  far  as  rifle  fire  exclusively 
from  trenches  is  concerned,  the  importance  of  individual  aimed 
fire  up  to  the  range  of  400  yards  is  the  principal  feature  that 
has  been  so  developed  by  the  peculiar  conditions  prevailing  on 
the  "western  front"  during  the  present  European  war,   and 
the  training  that  needs  to  be  stressed  naturally  comes  under 
the  head  of  "  individual  instruction."    There  is  also  a  second 
feature,    essential    to    efficient    collective    firing    either    from 
trenches  or  in  the  open,  that  has  never  received  the  attention 
in  our  authorized  manuals  that  its  importance  merits,  though 
that  importance  has  long  been  recognized  and  has  been  ably 
treated  at  the  School  of  Musketry-    It  is  that  of  the  necessity 
for  satisfactory  working  methods  of  describing  targets.     The 
growth  of  this  necessity  has  been  coincident  with  the  develop- 
ment of  fire  discipline,  direction,  and  control. 

3.  The  special  importance  of  individual  aimed  fire  In  trench 
warfare  has  been  developed  in  Europe  during  the  present  war 
in  connection  with  what  is  there  termed  "  sniping,"  which  has 
become   a    specially    important    and    highly   technical    service, 
though  it  is  merely  a  development  of  what  has  long  been  known 
and  practiced  in  the  United  States  under  the  name  of  "  sharp- 
shooting."    A  consideration  of  some  of  the  conditions  under 
which  "  sniping "  is  conducted  will  assist  in  emphasizing  its 
importance  and  in  indicating  the  special  qualfications  and  in- 
struction essential  to  efficiency. 

5 


6  TRAINING  FOR  TRENCH  WARFARE. 

4.  In  modern  trench  warfare,  as  it  exists  in  Europe  to-day, 
each  belligerent  occupies  a  system  of  trenches,  of  which  the  fore- 
most, or  fire  trenches,  are  frequently  separated  by  only  a  few 
yards,  and  rarely  by  more  than  four  or  five  hundred  yards.    In 
rear  of  the  fire  trenches  there  is  a  labyrinth  of  cover,  approach, 
support,  reserve,  and  other  trenches.    Each  system  is  strength- 
ened by  obstacles,  the  most  formidable  and  also  the  most  com- 
mon of  these  are  the  barbed-wire  entanglements.    These  trenches 
and  obstacles  are  being  continually  damaged  by  the  opposing 
artillery    fire,    and    every    opportunity    is    seized    for    raiding 
enemy  trenches  through  the  openings  so   made.     One  of  the 
important  functions  of  the  sniper  is  that  of  protecting  his  own 
trenches  from  enemy  raids  and  his  comrades  from  fire  of  snipers 
and  the  prevention  of  repair  of  enemy  trenches  and  obstacles  in 
order  to  keep  the  road  open  to  raids  from  his  own  side.     To 
these  ends  he  endeavors  to  meet  with  a  bullet  every  exposure  of 
even  a  few  square  inches  of  the  head  or  limb  of  an  enemy  and 
at  the  same  time  to  conserve  his  own  life.    To  attain  the  first 
object,  that  of  hitting  the  enemy,  requires  the  best  possible 
facilities  for  observation  and  fire,  coupled  with  special  qualities 
and  technical  skill  on  the  part  of  the  sniper.     The  attainment 
of  the  second  object,  that  of  conserving  one's  own  life,  will  de- 
pend largely  upon  the  judgment  and  skill  displayed  in  selecting 
and  concealing  the  position  of  the  firer.    Each  of  these  require- 
ments calls  for  special  training  and  for  special  qualities  inherent 
in  the  sniper.    To  the  training  and  skill  of  the  expert  game  shot 
must  be  added  the  craftiness  of  the  poacher. 

5.  From  the  preceding  paragraphs  it  is  evident  that  the  service 
of  sniping  can  not  be  conducted  in  a  haphazard  way,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  requires  for  its  efficient  conduct  a  carefully  selected, 
organized,  equipped,  and  trained  personnel. 

(a)  Organization. — Based  upon  the  best  available  information 
from  Europe,  there  should  be  organized  in  each  battalion  of 
Infantry  a  "  sniping "  group  composed  of  1   noncommissioned 
officers  and  24  privates. 

(b)  Qualifications  governing  selections. — Each  member  of  the 
sniping  group  should  be  a  well-trained,  intelligent,  disciplined 
soldier ;  a  dead  shot  at  short  and  mid  ranges ;  brave,  yet  cau- 
tious;  cool,  observant,  patient,   resourceful,   and  prompt.     In 
addition  to  the  above,  the  noncommissioned  officer  in  command 
of  the  group  should  be  a  competent  instructor  in  all  that  is 
included  in  the  training  of  the  sniper  and  should  possess  good 
judgment  in  the  selection  and  preparation  of  snipers'  posts. 


TRAINING  FOR  TRENCH  WARFARE.  7 

(c)  Training. — In  addition  to  the  preliminary  training  con- 
templated in  (b),  the  following  features  should  be  specially 
developed : 

Rifle  practice. — The  sniper  must  become  expert  in  a  broader 
sense  than  is  implied  by  the  word  as  employed  in  ordinary 
marksmanship  classification.  Ordinarily  his  target  will  be  a 
small  and  fleeting  one,  and  his  training  should  be  such  as  to 
enable  him  to  quickly  and  accurately  deliver  a  single  shot  at 
objects  varying  from  a  4-inch  loophole  at  100  yards  to  those  the 
size  of  a  man's  body  at  800  yards.  The  small  object  at  short 
range  will  be  the  most  frequent  target  and  indicates .  the  most 
important  rifle  training.  The  character  of  the  target  em- 
phasizes the  importance  of  extreme  accuracy  of  fire,  and  ac- 
curacy of  fire  implies,  in  addition  to  correctness  of  aim,  correct 
knowledge  of  range,  a  correct  knowledge  of  external  influences, 
such  as  light,  heat,  moisture,  wind,  and  the  personal  equation 
of  the  firer  and  the  rifle.  The  sniper  must  continually  practice 
both  with  the  military  sights  and  with  the  adjuncts  supplied  him 
and  under  conditions  closely  resembling  those  that  will  obtain 
in  actual  trench  work.  The  importance  of  concealment  will 
usually  result  in  fire  being  delivered  from  rest,  and  the  handling 
of  the  rifle  must  not  be  accompanied  by  exposure  of  his  position. 
The  soldier  who  has  been  thoroughly  trained  in  the  courses  pre- 
scribed in  the  Small  Arms  Firing  Manual  will  have  no  difficulty 
in  improvising  firing  exercises  with  small  bobbing  or  disappear- 
ing targets  that  will  develop  skill  along  the  lines  indicated 
above.  In  every  exercise  the  judgment  of  the  firer  should  be 
expressed  as  to  the  influence  of  a  cold  piece,  a  hot  piece ;  clouds, 
heat,  moisture,  wind;  a  worn  rifle;  fouling;  recent  cleaning  and 
nil  ing,  or  whatever  existing  condition  may  exert  an  influence  on 
the  path  of  the  bullet.  The  estimation  of  ranges  and  their 
determination  by  use  of  range  finders  should  form  an  important 
part  of  the  training  of  a  sniper. 

Reconnaissance  and  scouting. — Under  this  head  is  included  all 
manner  of  observation  with  a  view  to  obtaining  information. 
The  sniper's  field  of  action  will  be  limited,  but  within  its  sphere 
i<-  will  be  governed  by  the  same  principles  that  are  prescribed 
for  reconnaissance  parties  and  scouts,  and  will  include  the  in- 
telligible rendering  of  reports. 

To  this  end  the  sniper  must  be  trained  in  the  reading  of  maps, 
the  making  of  sketches,  the  use  of  the  prismatic  compass. 
Hie  simple]-  and  more  common  conventional  signs,  and  the 
rendering  of  both  verbal  and  written  reports.  That  the  subject 


8  TRAINING  FOR  TRENCH  WARFARE. 

may  not  seem  too  large  and  formidable  to  him,  his  instruction 
should  be  progressive  and  as  simple  as  possible,  with  due  care 
to  impress  him  with  the  necessity  for  everything  he  is  required 
to  do.  The  American  soldier  will  rarely  fail  to  respond  if  lie 
can  see  the  reasonableness  of  the  demand  made  upon  him. 
Let  him  see  that  his  own  life  and  that  of  his  comrades  mry 
depend  upon  the  accuracy  of  his  knowledge  of  the  following: 

1.  The  location  of  our  own  front  line  and  that  of  the  enemy, 
so  far  as  they  are  within  his  visual  range. 

2.  The  location  of  any  known  or  suspected  enemy  sniper's 
posts,  machine-gun  emplacements,   observation  posts,   listening 
posts,  command  stations,  or  probable  routes  of  advance. 

3.  The  location  and  importance  of  dominating  points  in  either 
line. 

4.  The  importance  of  being  able  to  pick  out  on  the  ground  any 
points  of  special  importance  or  danger  indicated  on  sketches  or 
maps  turned  over  to  him,  and  to  determine  from  maps  drawn 
to  scale  the  ranges  to  such  points. 

5.  How  to  find  his  way  by  the  aid  of  a  map  or  sketch  from 
his  post  to  any  specified  point  in  our  own  trenches,  and  back 
again. 

6.  The  importance  of  being  able  to  intelligibly  record  and 
graphically  represent  matters  of  importance  to  his  commanding 
officer  or  to  the  sniper  who  is  to  relieve  him.     In  this  connec- 
tion the  special  importance  of  exact  truth  in  statements  of  fact, 
and  of  the  careful  separation  of  matters  of  fact  from  those  of 
mere  report  or  conjecure,  should  be  duly  stressed.    Hearsay  and 
conjecture  are  often  of  great  importance,  but  should  be  trans- 
mitted as  such,  and  in  the  case  of  conjecture  the  reasons  there- 
for should  be  stated. 

The  above  are  simply  a  few  instances  to  suggest  to  the  in- 
structor how  to  go  about  the  matter  of  instruction.  Many  men 
will  be  already  familiar  with  the  subject,  and  the  method  may 
be  abridged,  but  in  the  case  of  an  entirely  uninstructed  man  a 
step-by-step  method  of  instruction  must  be  followed.  The  train- 
ing should  be  such  that  it  will  be  an  entirely  natural  matter 
for  the  sniper  to  observe  and  report  as  to : 

1.  The   attitude   of   the   enemy    (whether    aggressive,    alert, 
active,  etc.).  - 

2.  Description  of  enemy  seen,  uniform,  arms,  etc. 

3.  Any   new  work   evident;   such  as  trenches   and   obstacles 
strengthened,  new  emplacements,  etc.  . 


TRAINING  FOR  TRENCH  WARFARE.  9 

4.  Position  of  machine  guns,  observation  posts,  sniper  posts, 
etc.,  discovered. 

5.  Points  in  our  own  lines  found  to  be  specially  dangerous, 
and  points  of  enemy  line  that  menace  them. 

6.  Routes  known  to  be  used  by  the  enemy. 

7.  Routes  of  patrols. 

8.  Points  where  ammunition  or  supplies  are  believed  to  be 
dumped. 

9.  Ranges  to  prominent  or  important  points.     This  informa- 
tion will  be  less  likely  to  mislead  if  the  following  rules  are 
observed : 

Carefully  indicate  the  point  from  which  each  range  is  taken. 
Use   prominent,    easily    identified    landmarks     as    reference 
points. 

Indicate  by  whom  and  how  ranges  were  determined. 

10.  Report  any  repairs  needed  in  trenches  or  obstacles. 

11.  Position  of  suspected  mines. 

6.  Equipment. — Telescopes,  rather  low  power,  are  preferable 
to  field  glasses  for  observation  and  reconnaissance.     Care  must 
be  taken  to  render  them  as  inconspicuous  as  possible  and  pre- 
vent their  location  by  the  enemy  through  reflection  of  light 
from  the  object  glass. 

Telescopic  periscope. 

Rifle  rest. — Various  sorts  have  been  devised,  usually  not 
merely  to  serve  the  purpose  of  a  rest,  but  to  expedite  resump- 
tion of  aim  and  change  in  direction  or  elevation. 

Telescopic  sights. 

Sniperscope. —  (A  device  for  aiming  with  the  head  below 
the  line  of  sight.  Reports  indicate  that  with  this  device  the 
tendency  is  to  shoot  high,  and  that  they  are  only  reasonably 
accurate  up  to  ranges  of  200  yards.  They  are  usually  used 
over  parapets,  between  sandbags.  Proper  adjustment  is  essen- 
tial and  great  care  necessary  to  prevent  derangement.) 

Steel  helmet  and  mask. 

Maps,  sketches,  note-book,  message  blanks,  pencils,  pocket 
knife. 

Each  post  should  have  a  range  chart  for  use  of  all  reliefs. . 

The  above  is  additional  to  the  normal  equipment  of  the 
soldier. 

7.  Duties  of  commander  of  sniping  group: 

(a)  Training  of  snipers  and  maintenance  of  efficiency. 
(&)   To  supervise  the  work  of  his  unit. 
95386°— 17 2 


10  TRAINING  FOR  TRENCH  WARFARE. 

(c)  Responsibility  for  care*  of  equipment. 

(d)  To  receive  and  transmit  to  the  proper  authority  all  in- 
formation turned  over  by  the  posts  he  relieves  and  by  his  own 
posts. 

(e)  To  select  the  positions  for  sniper's  posts  and  supervise 
the  construction  of  loopholes  and  other  special  arrangements 
when  not  already  provided. 


A  SNIPERSCOPL 

8.  Location  of  sniper's  posts. — Though  engaged  in  trench  war- 
fare snipers  are  not  invariably  located  in  trenches.  When  not 
so  located  the  sniper  will  avail  himself  of  such  cover  as  best 
suits  his  purpose.  If  practicable  he  will  so  dress  himself  as  to 
blend  with  his  surroundings,  giving  particular  attention  to  his 
face  and  hands.  Masks  of  inconspicuous  color  are  sometimes 
worn.  He  must  study  the  maps  and  the  ground  and  endeavor 
to  determine  in  advance  good  localities  for  observation  and 
good  lines  of  approach.  His  line  of  retreat  must  also  be  decided 
on  as  early  as  possible.  The  arts  of  the  deerstalker  and 
poacher,  or  those  practiced  in  our  early  Indian  troubles  will  be 
of  great  use  under  these  circumstances,  as  his  success  will 


TRAINING  FOR  TRENCH  WARFARE. 


11 


depend  largely  upon  his  patience  and  cunning.  Houses  and 
other  buildings  should  be  viewed  with  distrust,  as  they  may 
be  closely  observed  by  the  enemy.  Trees  will  also  receive  this 
scrutiny.  The  best  'cover  will  be  that  which  is  least  likely  to 
be  suspected  of  affording  concealment  for  a  man. 

Sniper's  positions  in  trenches  may,  according  to  circumstances, 
be  located  in  (a)  the  front  line,  (&)  parados,  (c)  approach 
trenches,  (d)  connecting  trench,  (e)  dummy  trench,  (/)  support 


THE  SNIPER  WITH  TELESCOPIC  SIGHT.    HIS  OBSERVER  WITH  PERISCOPE. 

trenches,  or  any  others  affording  the  desired  facilities.  The 
commander  must  study  the  terrain,  the  enemy's  trenches,  the 
advantages  and  disadvantages  of  each  position  considered,  both 
with  reference  to  facilities  for  observation,  fire,  and  conceal- 
ment, and  with  reference  to  danger  from  the  enemy,  and  select 
that  which  will  best  serve  the  purpose.  He  must  then  decide 
as  to  measures  for  promoting  observation  and  concealment,  and 
supervise  their  execution  and  the  construction  of  the  necessary 
loopholes.  Loopholes  may  be  arranged  of  sandbags,  iron  pipes, 


12 


TRAINING  FOR  TRENCH  WARFARE. 


boxes,  etc.     It  is  better  to  have  them  run  obliquely  rather  than 
perpendicularly  with  respect  to  the  trench  line,  and  a  curtain 


A  PREPARED  SNIPER  POSITION.    A  SNIPER  USING  A  SNIPERSCOPE. 

should  be  provided  to  prevent  their  being  discovered  by  light 
showing  through  the  hole.  Loopholes  near  the  ground  are  not 
as  readily  seen  as  those  higher  up,  and  those  located  among 


TRAINING  FOR  TRENCH  WARFARE.  13 

debris  and  loose  earth,  leaves,  branches,  tumbled  sods,  etc.,  are 
less  easily. detected  than  those  located  in  a  smooth  slope.  When 
constructing  loopholes  care  should  be  taken  to  disturb  previously 
existing  conditions  as  little  as  possible  lest  the  enemy  observe 
the  change  and  profit  by  the  hint.  Several  loopholes  should  be 
provided  for  each  post  as  the  discovery  of  one  by  the  enemy 
renders  it  worthless  for  future  use,  and  continued  use  of  one 
loophole  will  sooner  or  later  result  in  detection. 

The  best  positions  are  usually  in  rear  of  the  first  line,  so 
placed  as  to  command  a  view  of  the  enemy's  trenches  up  to  at 
least  400  yards.  This  is  not  always  possible  and  the  best  pos- 
sible must  be  selected.  In  any  case  alternative  positions  must 
be  arranged.  Support  trenches  may  afford  better  locations 
than  the  fire  trenches,  but  they  have  the  objection  of  increas- 
ing the  range.  If  the  post  is  detached  an  important  considera- 
tion is  whether  or  not  it  can  be  entered  or  left  unobserved  dur- 
ing daylight. 

9.  Conduct  of  the  sniper. — Snipers  should  work  in  pairs,  ex- 
changing duties  of  x  observer  every  15  or  20  minutes.  They 
should  be  relieved  every  two  hours  or  oftener.  It  may  be  ad- 
vantageous to  relieve  one  every  hour. 

They  will  never  fire  merely  to  annoy,  as  this  will  lead  to 
disclosure  of  the  position,  with  no  adequate  result.  They  will 
closely  examine  their  shelter  and  see  that  the  fire  opening  is 
so  constructed  as  not  to  be  affected  by  the  blast  of  the  rifle. 
If  shooting  through  a  small  aperture  in  brickwork,  the  open- 
ing should  be  kept  wet  to  prevent  dust  being  blown  out  by 
the  discharge.  Newly  constructed  loopholes  should  be  left 
unused  for  a  time,  so  as  to  see  if  the  enemy  has  detected  it. 
The  curtain  will  always  be  kept  in  such  position  as  to  prevent 
light  showing  through.  Snipers  must  not  be  led  by  ruses  to 
fire  fruitlessly  and  disclose  their  positions.  Fire  to  kill.  If 
a  large  target  is  discovered,  do  not  fire  if  it  is  possible  to  in- 
form the  machine  guns  or  the  artillery.  Search  constantly  for 
machine  guns  and  snipers ;  smash  his  periscopes. 

Attacks  will  afford  great  opportunities  for  the  sniper,  as  the 
enemy  will  then  not  be  so  alert  for  them,  being  busy  with 
other  matters.  Less  caution  will  therefore  be  necessary.  From 
a  position  on  a  flank  or  anywhere  that  he  can  fire  without  inter- 
ference with  our  own  men,  he  selects  the  most  useful  targets, 
such  as  machine-gun  men,  officers  and  noncommissioned  officers, 
snipers,  artillery  observers,  etc.  He  closely  observes  the  flanks, 


14  TRAINING  FOR  TRENCH  WARFARE. 

which  are  favorite  places  from  which  to  break  up  an  attack, 
and  endeavors  to  forestall  the  enemy's  fire.  If  the  attack  suc- 
ceeds, he  covers  the  working  parties  during  the  organization  of 
the  captured  trench  and  watches  for  evidences  of  an  intended 
counterattack.  If  this  is  made,  he  fires  on  the  enemy  as  he 
shows  himself  in  the  approach  trenches,  picking  off  leaders 
when  possible. 

Much  night  work  for  snipers  will  rarely  be  advantageous. 
The  targets  are  then  practically  limited  to  patrols  and  sentries, 
and  there  is  great  danger  of  firing  into  our  own  men  or  being 
fired  on  by  them.  The  flash  of  the  rifle  will  disclose  the  position 
if  care  is  not  taken  to  conceal  it.-  Avoid  the  enemy's  listening 
posts.  Learn  the  hours  at  which  the  enemy  repairs  the  gaps 
in  his  obstacles  or  parapets  and  watch  for  him. 

10.  Description  of  targets. — In  paragraph  2  reference  was 
made  to  the  necessity  for  a  satisfactory  working  system  for 
designating  or  describing  targets.  One  of  our  present  em- 
barrassments lies  in  the  multiplicity  of  methods  and  the  inci- 
dent confusion  in  the  mind  of  the  soldier.  Another  source  of 
error  lies  in  the  tendency  of  men  to  fancy  that  the  ears  of 
listening  soldiers  take  in  and  digest  a  description  as  rapidly  as 
the  eye  can  travel  from  point  to  point.  The  ear,  as  compared 
with  the  eye,  is  very  slow.  The  immediate  deduction  from  this 
is  that  descriptions  must  be  shorn  of  all  unnecessary  words,  and 
that  they  must  be  as  simple  and  clear  as  possible.  It  also  em- 
phasizes the  advantage  of  following  so  far  as  practicable  fixed 
methods  of  expression.  Hecruits  should  be  taught  the  general 
plan  followed  in  describing  targets  in  order  that  they  may  waste 
no  time  from  lack  of  comprehension  of  the  relation  of  the 
different  elements  of  the  description  or  the  terms  employed. 

The  use  of  a  single  form  will  not  suffice,  since  in  some  cases 
the  target  is  so  evident  that  no  mistake  can  be  made,  and  the 
simple  designation  such  as  "  That  troop  of  white-horse  cavalry, 
range  1,000  yards,"  will  identify  it  beyond  all  question ;  while 
in  other  cases  the  particular  target  may  be  so  obscure  and  liable 
to  confusion  with  other  targets  that  a  reference  point  and  some 
system  of  coordinates  must  be  employed. 

In  general,  targets  with  reference  to  their  designation  will 
fall  under  the  following  heads : 

(a)  Those  that  stand  out  so  plainly  that  there  can  be  no  possi- 
bility of  doubt  as  the  target  meant. 

(ft)  Those  that  are  plainly  visible,  but  are  liable  to  be  con- 
fused with  other  targets  of  a  similar  nature  and  range. 


TRAINING  FOR  TRENCH  WARFARE.  15 

(c)  Those  less  distinctly  visible  and  more  difficult  to  pick  up 
on  account  of  peculiar  background,  confusion  with  other  ob- 
jects, etc. 

(fl)  Targets  visible  only  through  field  glasses,  and  that  may 
or  may  not  present  the  additional  difficulties  of  danger  of  con- 
fusion with  other  objects. 

Case  (a)  has  already  been  referred  to.  The  system  consists 
in  the  simple  announcement  of :  1.  The  objective.  2.  The  range. 

Ingenious  people  sometimes  combine  horizontal  and  vertical 
clock  systems  in  designating  a  target  whenever  possible  to  do 
so,  but  this  is  a  violation  of  the  rule  of  simplicity  and  should 
never  be  done  unless  evidently  necessary.  The  mere  fact  that 
it  is  necessary  or  desirable  to  use  a  reference  point  does  not 
in  all  cases  require  use  of  both  systems,  as  the  reference  point 
may  be  so  evident  that  no  clock  coordination  is  necessary.  When 
such  designation  is  necessary,  the  horizontal  clock  face  is  used 
in  coordinating  the  reference  point  and  the  vertical  clock  face 
for  locating  the  subsequent  points. 

11.  Instruction  in  target  description  is  simple  but  must  be 
thoroughly  understood.  An  illustration  by  means  of  case  (d) 
will  cover  the  entire  subject  so  far  as  necessary. 

(a)  Explain  to  the  recruits  the  use  of  the  horizontal-clock 
system  as  a  means  of  indicating  directions.  Inform  them  that 
they  are,  in  this  system,  always  at  the  center  of  the  dial.  Call 
out  various  hours  and  require  each  recruit  to  extend  his  arm 
in  the  direction  he  understands  is  indicated.  Explain  and  cor- 
rect errors. 

Explain  the  use  of  the  vertical  clock  system,  impressing  the 
recruits  with  the  fact  that  in  this  system  the  reference  point 
is  always  at  the  center  of  dial.  Call  out  an  hour  and  require 
the  recruit  to  name  some  object  that  is  located  on  the  hand  of 
the  clock  at  the  designated  hour.  A  diagram  on  paper  may  be 
of  assistance.  Explain  and  correct  errors. 

Explain  to  the  recruit  that  the  angle  subtended  by  the  width 
of  one  finger  at  arm's  length  from  the  eye  and  that  subtended 
by  the  leaf  of  the  rear  sight  to  his  rifle  at  14  inches  from  the 
eye  has  a  chord  50  yards  long  at  1,000  yards  distance.  The 
finger  width  and  the  sight  leaf  thus  become  known  as  units, 
and  either  may  be  used  in  indicating  distances  laterally.  * 

Having  selected  a  reference  point,  name  some  object  near  it 
and  require  the  recruit  to  tell  you  how  many  units  (fingers  or 
si  git  t  leafs)  apart  they  are. 


16 


TRAINING  FOR  TRENCH  WARFARE. 


SKETCH  SHOWING  GERMAN  FIXED  RIFLE  REST  FOR  FIRING  THROUGH  LOOP  HOLES. 
(Captured  at  the  Bluff.) 

NOTE. — Both  lateral  and-horizontal  movement  is  given  and  the  rifle  can  be  very  firmly  clamped 
when  the  required  aim  is  found. 


PLRM 


OH>  {•••  8-H 


^  \ V  plorjorm    on  wbtcW    t 

Lowering  fc  Uei^Utervin^  UN^  fiJU   moves     round 

<?eor  ShlK*  wVi^t^  witW      . 


"gear  "  ^'^v, 

SECTIONAL  ELEVATION. 


TRAINING  FOB-  TRENCH  WARFARE. 


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When  he  is  fairly  familiar  with  the  use  of  the  horizontal 
and  the  vertical  clock  system  for  indicating  directions,  and 
with  the  use  of  fingers  and  sight  leaf  for  measuring  lateral 
distances  from  a  reference  point,  work  him  up  from  simple  to 
difficult  examples  of  target  designation. 

With  case  (d)  as  an  illustration,  call  the  direction  of  the  ref- 
erence point.  See  that  all  look  in  the  right  direction.  Name 
the  reference  point.  Require  it  to  be  indicated  on  paper,  at  ilic 
center  of  a  clock  dial.  Call,  "  Target  8  o'clock."  Have  a  line 
drawn  from  the  center  of  the  dial  in  the  proper  direction.  An- 
nounce, "  Four  units."  Have  these  estimated  by  lingers  and 
with  the  sight  leaf  in  the  proper  direction  and  endeavor  to 
then  locate  some  object  that  should  serve  as  a  check  on  the 
work.  Continue  similarly  with  the  actual  announcement  of 
the  character  of  the  target :  "  Skirmish  line,  etc." 

It  may  sometimes  be  advantageous  to  indicate  the  range  and 
have  the  sights  set  before  describing  the  target,  as  men  fre- 
quently lose  the  target  while  their  eyes  are  off  it  in  sightsetting. 

The  training  necessary  to  make  a  "  war  shot "  does  not  stop 
with  making  the  recruits  skillful  in  shooting.  Other  qualities 
must  receive  attention  and  be  developed.  This  is  accomplished 
in  his  other  drills. 

His  development  into  a  war  shot  must  be  systematic  and 
progressive.  In  the  diagram  this  idea  is  carried  out. 


TRAINING  FOR  TRENCH  WARFARE. 


31 


TO    to  4 


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